Arthur Redding
Arthur Redding is one of the main characters from the 2019 film 'Hang On To Your Hanger-Ons', and is played by Haavard Christie. Arthur is a young man with no real direction in life, and looking to make some quick money. Characterisation Arthur is a fairly direct and sometimes stubborn individual with a calm demeanour and can take on a leadership role to those around him. It is through his lack of money and desperation that he thinks about solutions and negotiations in order to live another day. When he feels like there is an opportunity, he will take control of the situation in order to make it play out best for himself. If it benefits others, that is merely a by-product. Before coming in contact with Douglas, Arthur can show himself to be a powerful force in his professional life, negotiating for both himself and Paul Porter against Drew Harle's rules. From a physical standpoint, Paul should be the one to take power in the dynamic between himself and Arthur, but Arthur shows himself to be the more level-headed and ambitious of the two of them. It is when Drew offers Arthur the near perfect situation that Arthur let's his pride stand in the way of success, declining the deal. Showing himself to be creative, the parking garage idea he has is actually put into action but is ultimately unsuccessful due to the quick decision making that Arthur is prone to. When first coming back in contact with Douglas, Arthur is more reserved and willing to follow Douglas' lead on most matters. It's when Arthur feels he has been doubled-crossed that he becomes the dominant force in the situation, leaving Douglas cowering and scared. Arthur is someone that will constantly go through life as a bottom feeder, looking for the quick money in any scheme he can come up with. He will be reserved in these situations until someone shows weakness, and then he will take advantage of this by getting people around him to work for him in his ideas. Character Connections Douglas Huffel Arthur's ambition and perhaps desperation, is what drives him to contact Douglas to follow up on a few vague stories he heard many years ago about connections to criminal activities. Arthur is willing to follow Douglas' advice and his stories, as he seems knowledgable about this business. Douglas is able to gain Arthur's trust, and Arthur follows all the instructions he is given. When Douglas breaks his trust, Arthur becomes both enraged and ruthless in his pursuit for the only thing he ever sought after: money. Arthur and Benny both team up much like Paul did with Arthur, in order to create a team that could easily overthrow Douglas. Nate Fulle The way that Arthur sees Nate is as an nosey and sometimes intimidating neighbour. Arthur has no interest in being a part of Nate's life, even though Nate tries numerous times to include Arthur in different activities. Nate's relationship with Arthur is generally that of a father and son that are quite disconnected and don't really see eye to eye on much. Helen Fulle Helen is much like an overbearing mother to Arthur, and this makes hum uncomfortable. All he really wants to achieve in this apartment complex is his parking spot idea, but Helen throws in all sorts of complications that Arthur would really rather avoid. Paul Porter Although Paul is much stronger physically than Arthur, he is unambitious and passive. It is stated that both of them work casually for Drew Harle's lawn mowing service, but the work is spotty and can be unreliable. Arthur eventually decides that he has had enough and will go on strike, while Paul seems content with what he has. Through Arthur's leadership skills he convinces Paul that the strike can only be effective if they both do it together. Paul reluctantly goes along with it, and constantly wants to give in to Drew's requests. After Arthur spends more time with Douglas, Paul finally decides for himself that he's going to take the deal and go back to work. After doing this, he convinces Drew that Arthur is just having a tough time and that he should get one more chance. It seems that Paul can live much more independently without Arthur around. Drew Harle This relationship is much like that of a teenage son rebelling against his father. Drew is a reasonable man that clearly goes well behind his limits to hear what Arthur has to say for himself in the negotiations. It is unclear why Drew is so lenient with Arthur but eventually he too reaches his limits and gives an Arthur and ultimatum. After Paul accepts to go back to work for Drew, he is convinced that he should try work things out with Arthur one last time. He agrees, but when Douglas smashes Arthur's phone, we can assume that Drew has officially cut ties with Arthur forever. Benny Trimble Arthur meets Benny for the first time on the night of the robbery. They are simply acquaintances until Benny drives Arthur home after the job. It is clear that both characters were ultimately confused by Douglas' tactics and may have bonded over this fact. By the following day, it seems that Arthur is on better terms with Benny than he is with Douglas and possibly any other character. Ideas of Importance Parking Spot Scheme The scheme is explained by Arthur to Paul after the first negotiation with Drew. He says that the idea is to rent an apartment in a part of the city that is close to the city centre and hospitals. When someone wants to park in the city, they can use his parking spot at the apartment building for a much reduced price compared to bigger parking complexes in the CBD. This is one money making scheme that Arthur actually tries, but it is likely he has had many of them in the past. Starting his own Business Arthur makes it clear to Paul that as soon he gets some real money he is going to start his own lawn mowing business that they can both work for. This may be just to spite Drew, but it never materialises due to the low lack of startup money that Arthur believes he will get from the job with Douglas.